Thursday, October 20, 2011

Raiders Are "All In"

The Raiders acquisition of QB Carson Palmer by trading to the Bengals a 2012 1st round pick and conditional 2013 2nd round pick is a "swing for the fences" type move. When Campbell went down with a season ending injury last week, de facto GM Hue Jackson didn't bat an eye.

The injury, unique circumstances of Palmer, and the strong relationship between Palmer and Jackson all came together with a destiny type quality to it. It has created a situation where instead of expectations being lowered when our #1 QB went down, expectations have been raised even higher.

The merit of the trade is debatable depending on whether or not you think Palmer is past his prime or will have a career rejuvenation in silver and black. The value of the trade has yet to be determined. If Palmer creates a 3+ year window for the Raiders to make the playoffs, advance in the playoffs, and reach for the ultimate prize, this trade will be viewed very favorably by fans and the media.

This type of bold, aggressive acquisition by Jackson is fitting for a man who lives on the edge and isn't afraid to chase a championship. Instead of wallowing about unfortunate injuries, Jackson has created an environment where the players and fans believe in the team. Misfortune becomes opportunity. Someone goes down it turns into "next man up". Making excuses, pointing fingers, blaming refs is replaced by accountability and a will to win.

With Raider fans buzzing with anticipation of Carson Palmer's first start, sell out crowds acting as the 12 man on Sundays, and Jackson's leadership gaining traction and results, it is an exciting new chapter in Raider football.

3 Comments:

Anonymous said...

CJ,

I agree with you entirely. Hue has really energized the team, is a great play caller and seems to have vision. He has been nothing short of fantastic and that's going back to last year. I think we can all agree that anyone who questioned Al getting rid of Cable was completely wrong.

As far as Palmer time will be the final judge of the trade but I look at it a little differently than most. Hue had no choice he had to make this trade. Once it was determined Garrad was not an option going with any of the the other potential QBs including Boller would have been akin to giving up on the season. Furthermore Palmer is still somewhere between 7-15 in terms of top NFL QBs. I take him any day over Jason.

Question: Not trying to jinx anything but are you at all worried about this week? With Boller looking like he will start and Jano possibly out I am a touch worried.